Property News

Our Regional Directors share their knowledge and insight into the UK Property Market.
Read the articles below and be sure to follow us on our social channels to keep up to date with the latest property news.

How to choose a property when finances are being squeezed

With the cost of living rising, and many people’s finances being squeezed

Buying a Property on Your Own

What to consider, look out for and avoid.

How to Be an Online Property Listing Sleuth

Searching for property online has become the norm.

What buyers want from their property in 2025, and where do they want it

Smaller, more manageable, better insulated homes are in demand.

Twelve Days of Top Tips for Christmas Buyers

Stacks Property Search’s top tips for making the most of Christmas

Windows – is big necessarily best?

Modern residential constructions that use large amounts of glass have become increasingly popular

Reasons to be cheerful… why property buyers shouldn’t be anxious

How, as a buyer, do you establish the ‘correct’ price for a property?

Is the asking price the right price?

How, as a buyer, do you establish the ‘correct’ price for a property?

What to Buy and What to Avoid Under a Labour Government

With a forthcoming budget, and a concern that the Labour Government is anti-aspirational, property buyers and owners are twitchy.

Buying in a market that’s well-supplied with stock

Between early 2020 and 2022, rural buyers were dealing with a strong seller’s market.

Owning a Vineyard

The growth of the UK wine industry has been stratospheric, it’s no longer a novelty, it’s a thriving industry.

Buying on or near a golf course

Golf courses are typically well-maintained, and offer green landscapes for those living on or near them.

How to choose a buying agent

Until 1984, there were no buying agents in the UK

The value of a garden

It may feel Arctic, but spring has sprung and gardens are on the brink of looking their best.

Attention house buyers – beware the seduction of spring

It’s no coincidence that many property owners choose to sell their homes in spring – everywhere looks and feels better when the birds are singing, and the world is greening up.

Try Before You Buy

Just how thoroughly should you check out a new property before you make one of the biggest investments of your life?

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Find out what Stacks predict for the property market in 2024

Relocating With Children

To what extent should you allow your children to influence your decisions?

AMLs – boring but vital!

Anti-money-laundering (AML) regulations are crucial in the property industry to prevent investment of illicit funds.

How to sweat your biggest asset – houses for digital nomads

For all but the wealthiest homeowners, their property tends to be their biggest asset.

Annexes – everybody wants one – but at what price?

Annexes have always been in demand, but at what price?

Affordable Suffolk – Buyers Head North

Many buyers coming from London and other cities and large towns are wanting a rural property.

Summer ’23 Property Trends

Stacks Property Search’s rundown of what we can expect Summer 2023 to bring, in the county and in London.

An increase in working from home has changed Londoners’ property priorities

Sara Ransom of Stacks Property Search says, “Londoners who moved to the country during the pandemic are finding they are now spending more time in London than they anticipated and are seeking pieds a terre to alleviate the pain of constant commuting.

Sellers Behaving Badly

The strong sellers’ market of the last few years has resulted in a legacy of vendors thinking they hold all the cards.

3 Entries for Stacks on Spears 500 Lists!

Stacks could not be prouder that three of our trusted Property Buying Agents have made it into Spear’s 500 lists.

New vs old: the renaissance of newly built properties

Ed Jephson of Stacks Property Search says, “In the country, more and more buyers who used to say ‘period only’ will be looking at both new and period. There’s an aspirational funkiness to owning a good new eco home.

Advice for buyers this spring

What a difference a year makes. There is no question that the insanity of the property market over the last two or three years has been brought back down to earth by these troubling economic times.

Forget pony paddocks, these days everyone wants their own woodland

Anto Clay says, “Property with attached non-commercial woodland is attracting a premium. While everybody previously wanted a pony paddock, an area of mature trees is the new must-have.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Find out what Stacks predict for the property market in 2023

Property dossiers – every good vendor should have one

The cost of living crisis, together with interest rate uncertainty, is likely to lead to a buyers’ market and a challenging time for buyers and sellers.

A valuable reduction in VAT on property renovations

Since 2008, renovations and alterations to residential properties that have been empty for at least two years are eligible for a reduced VAT rate of 5%.

The first rule of buying a coastal property is buy AFTER the holidays

However black the economic clouds may be, it seems that the outlook for coastal property remains relentlessly sunny.

Windows are the soul of the house – and have a vital role to play in insulation

Good windows can make or break the beauty of a house. But they also have a serious job to do. They have to be easy and economical to maintain; and more than ever before they have to provide good insulation.

Thrifty property buying tips

With the cost of living and interest rates rising month by month, Stacks Property Search comes up with some ideas for property buyers who don’t want to overstretch themselves.

Gardens – a changing landscape

The garden has always been a valuable element of a property, but never more so than in 2022. Louise Ridings of Stacks Property Search explains why.

Energy crunch, the environment and property buying

The energy crunch together with growing and serious environmental concerns are producing a change in property owning and buying behaviour.

Return to London – the tide has turned

Successive lockdowns fuelled an exodus from London to the countryside, but many of those that left the capital are now regretting their decision and heading home to London.

House before school

Schools are one of the biggest reasons for moving house.

What kind of country dweller do you think you are?

Since the arrival of Coronavirus, and the start of Lockdown, there has been a growing trend for homeowners to reassess their living requirements

Why everybody wants a project….

Frustrated house purchasers looking for property in Monmouthshire and South Herefordshire can now cut out much of the hard work by contacting Stacks Property Search’s new office covering the area.

Help for property buyers in Monmouthshire and South Herefordshire

Frustrated house purchasers looking for property in Monmouthshire and South Herefordshire can now cut out much of the hard work by contacting Stacks Property Search’s new office covering the area.

House buying for dogs

We have long been a nation of dog lovers, but dog ownership soared during the pandemic. According to the PFMA (Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association), there are now 12 million dogs that are kept as pets in the UK.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Find out what Stacks predict for the property market in 2022

How to be a successful competitive property bidder

In some areas sealed bids have almost become the norm. Clare Coode shares her insights.

The long and winding road….beware!

Many people who have been buying, or trying to buy, property this summer will have experienced a congested, brutal and pushy market.

Autumn property trends – London

Sara Ransom of Stacks Property Search gives her insight into the Autumn property trends for London

Taking advantage of the autumn market

Many people who have been buying, or trying to buy, property this summer will have experienced a congested, brutal and pushy market.

Annexes – more in demand than ever

Eighteen months of living with Covid has resulted in a massive surge in demand for properties with an annexe.

Market round-up – June ‘21

It’s no secret that the property market has been frenzied in many sectors. Stacks Property Search’s experts share their thoughts.

Best and final offers

Best and final offers is becoming standard for desirable properties in a market where demand exceeds supply. It’s never the buyers’ choice. It’s used by agents who have a number of competitors for a property and they want to bring the negotiations to a close.

Why positive Lockdown experiences shouldn’t deter empty-nesters from downsizing.

Many families have spent much of the last year living with grown up children who, under normal circumstances, would have been home for the occasional weekend, looking for a great Sunday roast and a little family time.

What will buyers want post-pandemic

Now we are all armed with our road maps out of the pandemic, will we see a return to the old ways, or will there be medium or long-term changes in our living and house-buying behaviour?

How to view without viewing

While the property market is officially open for business, and viewings are permitted if conducted with adherence to guidelines, there is no question that both buyers’ and vendors’ appetite for viewing in person is significantly reduced.

Re-drawing the commuter belt

As we become accustomed to Lockdown 3, and the return of a ‘normal’ commuting life seems less and less likely, home buyers are re-writing their geographical property requirements.

The 2021 property market (Twelve days of predictions)

Find out what the Regional Directors predict for the property market in 2021

Property planning in uncertain times

It’s an understatement to say that Covid is creating havoc when it comes to planning. The uncertainties property buyers and sellers find themselves living with make things ultra-difficult, but there is a way through the fog….

The best home improvements for right now

Finding joy this autumn may be more challenging than usual. For many, working will be from home, socialising will be open air, and your own home and space is going to become increasingly valuable.

Stretched commuting – will the commuter belt ever look the same again?

It’s almost impossible to say what the future holds for the old-fashioned daily commute. For those who can’t work remotely, it’s clearly non-negotiable, but it’s difficult to imagine employers and employees willingly returning to the pre-Covid version of a totally office-based nine to five.

Gardens – More Essential Than Ever

In this partially-post-Covid world, gardens have become almost more important than inside space.

Buying in the new normal world of property

While the property market has been officially ‘unlocked’, buying and selling in the current climate is far from normal.

Homebuyers – get active now. It’s going to be a scrum.

Stacks Property Search offers advice for buyers who are keen to get active.

Covid-19 Property Therapy

With the experience of moving people for 36 years behind us, we would like to share that knowledge by offering some free on-line consultations, speaking to a local Stacks buying agent. We call it ‘property therapy’!

Advice for buyers and sellers: preparing to move

Read our 6 tips on utilising lockdown to keep your househunting journey moving during this time.

Coping with Corona

James Greenwood of Stacks Property Search says, “None of us know how this crisis is going to play out, but as buying agents our job is to continue to look after our clients, and others that we deal with, in a safe and responsible manner.

Thoughts About Lent

As Lent approaches, Stacks Property Search looks at what to give up, and what not to give up, when moving house.

Property conversations

Stacks Property Search has outlined some top line advice for couples who are planning their property futures, right from twenty-somethings up until eighty-somethings.

2020 Property Hot Spots

Local knowledge and expert advice can make all the difference when searching for your ideal property. Our Stacks Regional Directors give you their top picks of ‘Hot Spot’ areas to look out for in 2020, in the county and London.

2020 Property Trends

Stacks Property Search’s rundown of what we can expect 2020 to bring, in the county and in London.

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